


Professional Secrecy

by Anonymous



Category: Junjou Romantica
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Photography, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When he started working as a photographer for Aera magazine, his supervisor told him not to get his hopes up too high.No one could have foreseen that Misaki, the least experienced photographer of them all, would be sent to the home of a famous author to take his picture for the upcoming issue.
Kudos: 11
Collections: Anonymous





	Professional Secrecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Certain tags have not been added yet to prevent spoilers.

Misaki still didn't understand how any of this had happened.

He was on his way to the most luxurious living district in all of Tokyo, a place he would've never even pass through if it wasn't for the opportunity he had been granted. The tall buildings on his left and right, painted in soft pastel colors, reached up to the cloudy, gray skies. A variety of trees, flower beds and hedges brought more color and life to the district. Just a single look at them was enough to see that the greenery was better-maintained than in the other residential areas. Everything pointed to the same conclusion: this place was swarming with rich, successful people.

In other words: he, a young man who barely earned enough money to pay his bills, wasn't supposed to be here. It was thanks to a strange turn of events that he was now strolling through this breathtaking place, on his way to an appointment with one of the greatest authors in all of Japan. Anyone with a passion for literature would kill for a chance to meet the amazing Akihiko Usami.

Not Misaki. He hadn't even bothered to read any of Usami's work to familiarize himself with the man's way of writing. An author as successful as that was likely to be full of himself, and Misaki didn't feel much for stroking his ego by showering him with praise.

It wasn't his thing to meet the rich and famous, unless he would get a chance to talk to the creator of his favorite manga. When he started working as a photographer for Aera magazine, his supervisor told him not to get his hopes up too high. He was no more than a rookie and would be assigned to minor tasks only, most of which were within the organization itself.

Or at least that's what everyone thought. No one could have foreseen that Misaki, the least experienced photographer of them all, would be sent to the home of a famous author to take his picture for the upcoming issue. The person who was originally responsible got the flu and all of the proficient photographers were busy collecting material for other articles, making Misaki their last hope. After getting crystal clear instructions and a more advanced camera, he'd been given the address to Usami's apartment.

All of that happened barely forty minutes ago. His appointment with Usami was at 11AM, but his supervisor told him to leave as soon as possible. It was for the sake of the company, he'd told him. They didn't want the newbie to leave a bad impression.

But this? This was a little too much. It was only five past ten and according to the directions on his phone, Misaki would arrive in four minutes. He knew the saying "the early bird gets the worm", but arriving almost an hour early to a private appointment was just inconvenient for everyone involved. Usami could still be in a meeting or be busy working on a new novel.

It wasn't Misaki's fault if he arrived early, but he was going to get the blame for it regardless.

On the other hand, he didn't feel much for waiting outside in the meantime either. The air was crisp, it was too breezy for his liking and the clouds loomed threateningly, as though the weather could take a turn for the worse any second. Late summer, the peak of the typhoon season, was always a tricky time of the year in terms of weather. Misaki wouldn't allow for him to be locked out and forced to wait in the cold until Usami wanted to see him, but he didn't want to bother him either.

_Whatever, I'll see how it all plays out._

He stopped walking when he reached the building. The estimation of four minutes turned out to be a tad optimistic, because it had only taken him two. Before entering he put his phone away, took the note with the address out of his pocket and double-checked if he was at the right place. The note specifically stated that Usami lived on the top floor. Misaki scoffed as he read it.

"Damn rich people," he muttered. Only a pompous ass would need an entire floor of an apartment complex all to himself.

The things Misaki had seen thus far weren't really making him more excited to meet Akihiko Usami, but he tried to clear his head of any prejudice toward the man. It wasn't fair to judge someone before even meeting them. 

Misaki tried to stop frowning and walked closer to the entrance. The glass doors opened on their own, letting some of the warmth from inside escape. Lured in by the warmth, he entered quickly and found himself in what appeared to be a lounge room. Comfortable-looking chairs with small end tables stood on the left and right. If Usami didn't want to let him in yet, at least he knew he could wait there.

Right up ahead was a large staircase with elevators on either side. Misaki made his way to one of the elevators and pressed the lower call button. When the doors opened and he went inside, he noticed from the operating panel that the elevator, conveniently, served all the floors. With another push of a button, the doors closed and the elevator started to go back up.

There was no one else inside the elevator. In fact, he hadn't run into anyone since he'd entered the building.

He thought about what he had seen of the condominium thus far. Frankly, it reminded him more of an expensive hotel, except for the lack of a lobby where one could check in or out. It wouldn't surprise him if they had an indoor pool somewhere in the building as well. Even without that, the place was superior to the small apartment complex where he lived in every way. With his income he couldn't afford anything better either.

He was about to mutter something about rich people again when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Ahead of him was a hallway with only a single door. Unless another asshole in the condominium owned an entire floor, that had to be Usami's apartment.

Misaki walked forward, fishing his cell phone out of his jean pocket again. Another six minutes had passed, but he was still way too early for their appointment. He didn't know what Usami would do if he rang the doorbell now. What he did know was that he had the option of turning around, taking the elevator all the way back down and wait in the lounge room, but he didn't want to go through all that trouble if it wasn't necessary.

"Oh, what the hell. Let's just do this," he said aloud, shoving his phone back into his pocket. He was already closer to the door than the elevator anyway.

Next to the door, he saw a panel with a display and small buttons. There were a few words on the display that he couldn't read until he had reached the door. It read "enter code". Misaki assumed the lock was a digital lock that required a security code. That didn't explain why there was a keyhole under the door handle though. He had a feeling that the digital lock had been installed later. Maybe Usami had a habit of losing his key.

On the panel there was a bigger, square button with a bell icon, which Misaki pressed quickly. A buzzing sound came from inside the apartment, followed by the sound of footsteps. Misaki adjusted the camera around his neck and straightened his back.

A man with sleek, brown hair opened the door. He was wearing casual attire which consisted of a t-shirt and trousers. Not the kind of thing someone would typically wear for a photo shoot, but it did flatter him.

"Good morning, Usami-san," Misaki greeted, bowing his head. "I'm from Aera Magazine."

"Oh, you must be the photographer. You're early. Akihiko is still a little busy, but please do come in."

Misaki was a little surprised to find out that the man wasn't Usami. He continued to stare at the man as he entered the apartment, but kept his mouth shut. Maybe this guy was Usami's editor. That would explain why he wasn't all dressed up. He was friendly enough, so Misaki was sure he could just ask him if he really wanted to know.

Setting foot in the apartment was like entering another world. Not only was the apartment bigger than Misaki had anticipated, it also had a staircase leading up to an additional area with even more rooms. The lower area's open floor plan, with the living room, kitchen and dining room all conjoined, combined with the large windows on either side, made it appear even more spacious. It was almost insulting. The place was big enough to house a family of twelve at the very least.

_What the hell? How much space does one person need?_

Usami had to have a housekeeper, because keeping this place clean was practically a full-time job in itself. Amazingly, the floor was almost spotless and everything looked tidy except for the coffee table, on which a few empty cans of Usagi beer had been piled up in the middle.

Someone had apparently planned on getting pissed. The guy who'd let him in looked fine though, so he probably wasn't involved. That left Usami as the only other candidate, which didn't make Misaki think any better of him. Getting drunk when you know a photographer is coming over to take your picture? How rude could a person be?

Before he could get even more irritated, something else near the coffee table caught his attention. Sitting there on the couch was a big teddy bear, staring at him with its little black eyes, a ribbon tied around its neck. Amidst the stylish, modern interior, it looked so out of place, like someone left it there on accident. Its position however suggested that it was meant as a form of decoration, but who in their right mind would use stuffed animals to decorate their living room? Was it Usami's doing? According to Misaki's supervisor, Usami didn't have any children.

If there was a connection between the things Misaki had seen so far, he had yet to find it. He could guess from the mountain of beer cans that Usami had a drinking problem and that he was still recovering from a hangover or that he had missed a deadline and was busy making up for it after getting a good scolding from his editor. None of that explained the teddy bear on the couch though.

What he found even weirder was that Usami's editor didn't deem it necessary to explain it. He acted like it was totally normal. Nothing about it could be considered normal- it was truly, utterly, undeniably weird. No, weird wouldn't even begin to describe it.

But at the same time, it was also intriguing. While Misaki was still convinced that Usami was not a likeable man, he was somewhat eager to meet him now. He wanted to know what Japan's greatest author was hiding from the public eye. He wanted to see what kind of man Akihiko Usami really was.

Misaki would've liked to have his questions answered right away, but he knew he needed to have patience. He turned around, looking at the friendly man. A handsome smile graced the man's face when he caught Misaki staring.

"Please, have a seat." He gestured to the couch. "I will call Akihiko down in a second."

"Thank you."

While the man went upstairs, Misaki put his camera down on the coffee table and sat on the couch, next to the teddy bear. It allowed him to get a closer look. The ribbon around the teddy bear's neck was red with a tartan pattern. It was tied around the neck into a big, perfect bow. Whoever had tied it must have taken their sweet time with it.

Curiously he reached out to touch the bear's belly. The material was soft, much softer than it looked. Misaki wondered if the teddy bear was some kind of tool to help Usami cope with stress. There was probably more than one stuffed animal lying around the apartment, but Misaki couldn't say for sure. He hadn't seen any room other than the living room and snooping around without permission would be rude. If Usami didn't want to speak with him until eleven, maybe his editor could give him a tour around the place.

Misaki was disgusted by his thoughts. He was a photographer, not a paparazzo! Yes, learning more about Usami was an exciting thought, but searching a someone's house for secrets and oddities was not part of his job. Usami was a person too, and Misaki had to respect his privacy.

Someone walked down the stairs. While pulling back his hand, Misaki looked up and saw that the editor had returned. Usami was still nowhere to be seen and although Misaki was aware it was still much too early, he felt a slight twinge of annoyance.

The man looked at him apologetically. "I'm afraid you will have to wait a little longer. Akihiko isn't ready to have his picture taken yet."

"Don't apologize! It's my fault for being early."

"Well, I've got nothing else to do at the moment, so I'll keep you company until Akihiko's done."

The feeling of being annoyed was gone instantly. Misaki felt like the talking had a calming effect on him. It made sense. Killing time was usually easier with someone else around.

"Thanks," he replied. "That's very kind of you."

"Don't mention it. So can I get you anything? Coffee, tea? Maybe something to eat?"

"No no, I'm fine!" Misaki responded immediately. He was a little overwhelmed by the man's hospitality.

"You sure? I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee, so it's really no trouble."

As he reconsidered, Misaki realized he was actually quite thirsty. Because of the chaos at the office earlier that morning, he hadn't gotten a chance on a cup of coffee. It would be a waste to turn down the offer and miss out on it again.

He smiled. "If you insist. Coffee sounds good."

The man nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare coffee for them both. Once the coffee was brewing, he returned to the living room and picked up the empty cans off the table. Misaki offered to help him, but he was told that it wasn't the responsibility of a guest to clean up. The beer cans were thrown into a trash can yet the smell still present in the living room after they had been disposed of.

Not much later, the man came back with two mugs of steaming hot coffee.

"Here you go," the man said, giving one to Misaki. "I hope it isn't too strong for you. I searched every cabinet, but I couldn't find the sugar."

"That's okay! It's my first cup of the day anyway. Thank you."

"You're welcome." The man took a seat across from Misaki, holding the mug between both hands. "So, you're here to take a picture of Akihiko for Aera Magazine. How long have you been a photographer there?"

"I started my job in May of this year, so it's all pretty new to me. Everyone at the office calls me a rookie and everything. This is the first time I get to do something outside of the office."

Misaki was slightly embarrassed to admit he had little work experience, but he didn't want to lie about it. Anyone with eyes could see he was young. It shouldn't come as a surprise.

It didn't seem to faze the man either. He just nodded and smiled.

"This must be exciting for you then."

With all the smiling, Misaki was almost starting to think that this guy was more excited about the whole thing than he was. His cheerfulness was clearly contagious, as Misaki was in a much better mood than before. If anyone left a good first impression, it was him.

At the thought of first impressions, Misaki realized he hadn't told the man his name yet. Everything was happening so fast that it had just slipped his mind like it was unimportant. His face turned red as he cast his gaze on the floor. This wasn't a good start.

"I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself! My name is Misaki Takahashi."

The words came out so fast that it almost sounded like a single word. Misaki wanted to punch himself. Why couldn't he just speak normally? He really hoped it had been intelligible enough.

When he got no response, Misaki cautiously peered at the other. Silence after an introduction was usually not a good sign, but as he saw the expression on the man's face, Misaki's worry was replaced with confusion. Instead of looking angry, the man appeared to be in deep thought. He was staring right at the photographer with furrowed brows.

It was uncomfortable- extremely uncomfortable. Not sure what to do or say, Misaki wrapped his hands around his mug and drank his coffee quickly, burning the roof of his mouth. A groan of pain came from his throat, but it didn't seem to trigger a reaction in the other man. He was completely out of it.

After a while, Misaki couldn't take it anymore. He had to get the man's attention somehow, to help him snap out of it.

"Excuse me," he tried, speaking softly. "Is... is everything all right?"

His approach worked like a charm. The sudden jolt of the man's body showed that it had startled him, but his eyes didn't give anything away. However, his expression became softer as the creases on his forehead relaxed.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I was just thinking: your name sounds so familiar."

"Familiar?"

"Yes. I don't know why though. I'm pretty sure we haven't met before."

Misaki frowned and put his mug down. Now it was his turn to stare silently at the man sitting across from him. Nothing about the guy brought up any memories of ever running into him. He didn't recognize his voice either. Since it was only Misaki's name that rang a bell, the man must have heard or read his name somewhere.

But where? It couldn't be that he had gotten Misaki's name from the company so soon after they'd decided to assign the task to him. Unless he had met someone with the same name, which was possible - Takahashi was a common family name in Japan - there was no way he could recall it. Regardless, it piqued Misaki's curiosity further.

"Not to be rude, but you haven't told me your name yet," he pointed out.

The man laughed warmly. "Then I'm the one being rude. Very sorry about that. My name is Kyou Ijuuin."

Convinced that he had misheard, Misaki blinked fast. He responded with a laugh of his own, but it sounded forced and awkward.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get that. What did you say your name was?"

"Kyou Ijuuin."

The man's voice was clear and calm when he repeated himself, but still Misaki thought that his ears were deceiving him. Could it be? The creator of the masterpiece that was The Kan, his favorite manga of all time, his bible, sitting right there in front of him? He could hardly keep it together. To be in his presence was like a dream come true.

His hands balled into fists in his lap, palms already sweaty. He was actually shaking with excitement. Dull red dusted his cheeks as he gawked at the man, and his eyes sparkled like stars. From his mouth came several weird noises, but Misaki didn't notice. He was too busy admiring his idol to think of anything else.

There were many things Misaki wanted to say to Ijuuin. The words all swam around in his head, getting tangled up and lost in an endless mess. He wasn't even capable of coming up with coherent sentences without getting them all mixed up. Meeting the brilliant mind behind the manga he'd been reading since childhood was just overwhelming.

Ijuuin must have seen the excitement in Misaki's eyes, because a big smile appeared on his face.

"I take it to mean my name sounds familiar too."

Speechless, Misaki nodded vigorously. The fanboy inside him was screaming. He wanted to tell Ijuuin how much he loved his manga, how long he'd been reading it and how he honored he was to meet him, but he couldn't find the words to say that. There was still too much going on in his head. When he tried to say something, it just came out incomprehensible.

Seeing how much he was struggling, Ijuuin decided to take over the conversation.

"I remembered something just now," he said, looking gleefully at Misaki. "You have been sending me fan mail for years. Whenever I got a letter with your name at the bottom, it brightened up my day. It's always a pleasure to read how much you enjoy my manga."

A soft smile tugged at his lips. His eyes were still on Misaki, dazed and unfocused. Misaki feared that he was getting caught up in his thoughts again, but to his relief the silence didn't last long this time.

"You're one of my most devoted fans," Ijuuin continued softly. "How did I not realize it was you when you introduced yourself?"

It sounded as though he was thinking out loud. Misaki wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond, but he felt the need to say something. Using the opportunity to collect his thoughts, he was finally able to clear his mind. He took a long, deep breath, closing his eyes.

"I'm really happy that you remember my letters. And me as well." He slowly opened his eyes again. "I've always wanted to tell you in person, but I never got the chance to until now. It's a pleasure to meet you after all these years."

Ijuuin beamed at him. "A pleasure indeed, Takahashi-kun."

Misaki couldn't help himself. When Ijuuin smiled, he looked so handsome that it set his heart aflutter. The fanboy within broke free and took over, gushing over his favorite manga and his favorite artist. He spent the next twenty minutes declaring his love for The Kan with pride, talking about his favorite parts and fan theories.

Waiting for Usami wasn't on his mind anymore. All Misaki wanted to talk to his idol.


End file.
